Reciprocating saws any good ?

[J.D]

Alright lads, we've been building a decked area today and what with past experience and wet wood etc we wondered what was best for cutting the tops off of 4 in posts, we haven't got a chainsaw license so that's one method ruled out....

 

 

Its bloody donkey work cutting the buggers even with a decent hand saw, and I have seen these used on some tv programme somewheres

 

So whats the general consensus on reciprocating saws ???

 

J.D

[Stephen Blair]

never used one mate, but i remember the Alligator ones from B+q were very popular.

 

If i were you i would buy a proper hand saw from one of the dealers on here, you wont believe what you can cut through with them, the largest one is a Sugoi i think and you will go through an 8" post in seconds, just watch those fingers. I wouldnt waste my time with an electric saw, pita with cables and in the rain isnt cool either

[david]

most folk up here just use 3" posts chapped into the desiered high. (not me tho, Why would anyone like decking?)

[garth mc garth]

I use a cordless makita circular saw for pretty pretty cuts on fencing as it's a nice clean cut with a non ripping blade. 57mm depth cut so you will have to cut from both sides. With the adjustable angle on the blade you can tenon triangular arris rails and cut joints accurately

[J.D]

never used one mate, but i remember the Alligator ones from B+q were very popular.

 

If i were you i would buy a proper hand saw from one of the dealers on here, you wont believe what you can cut through with them, the largest one is a Sugoi i think and you will go through an 8" post in seconds, just watch those fingers. I wouldnt waste my time with an electric saw, pita with cables and in the rain isnt cool either

 

Well it was one of the American diy shows i saw it on so your probably right mate, I'll have a look for a sugoi now.

 

Cheers

[knight6m]

I bought a cheap (£40ish) homebase special a coupl of years ago to cut old railway sleepers. Ditch the blades that come with it and get Pirhana ones, I bullied my way through about a dozen full thickness cuts to make some raised - no issues. Not the fastest way to cut big lumps of timber but sleepers are full of oil, tar, grit metal and crap. Did what I needed, ditched the blades afterwards used it for a few jobs since including cutting a hardwood doorframe out thewall to fit a double glazed jobbie.

Well handy in the right circumstances.

Edited February 25, 2010 by knight6m
spelling

[J.D]

I use a cordless makita circular saw for pretty pretty cuts on fencing as it's a nice clean cut with a non ripping blade. 57mm depth cut so you will have to cut from both sides. With the adjustable angle on the blade you can tenon triangular arris rails and cut joints accurately

 

We have a 57 mm circular saw but they add time to the job and are a pain in the arse when you want to cut points on cut down posts mate, that's why a thought a saw of some type would be useful, 1 cut and done rather than flipping the bloody post over 4 times....

[J.D]

I bought a cheap (£40ish) homebase special a coupl of years ago to cut old railway sleepers. Ditch the blades that come with it and get Pirhana ones, I bullied my way through about a dozen full thickness cuts to make some raised - no issues. Not the fastest way to cut big lumps of timber but sleepers are full of oil, tar, grit metal and crap. Did what I needed, ditched the blades afterwards used it for a few jobs since including cutting a hardwood doorframe out thewall to fit a double glazed jobbie.

Well handy in the right circumstances.

 

Do they cut in a straight line though, thought they looked a bit hitty missy when they hit knots etc ?

[Rupe]

A quality carpentry saw would be better and cheaper than a silky. Just replace it often enough. You forget how sharp they should be after a while. Sugoi would not be easy to make a level cut with.

[knight6m]

Do they cut in a straight line though, thought they looked a bit hitty missy when they hit knots etc ?

 

Yes if you are careful- use a short blade, I have found a tendancy to wander increases with blade length, they are also designed with a foot which helps to steady the saw, during the cut, bit like a small jigsaw base on a big blade.